davidbowerkingwood

Today my Wife and I Observe our Seventy-Second Year of Marriage!

On October 17, 1952 my wife and I were married at a small church in Houston, Texas. Her brother, a fresh graduate from seminary, performed the ceremony as his very first marriage ceremony. We were all nervous but the results have endured for seventy-two years and, by God’s grace, will endure even longer.

I was 19 years old and my wife was 17 years old

The ceremony took place at Woodland Christian Church which was later torn down to make room for the new freeway to Dallas. A close examination of the photo will reveal the hole in my right shoe; we were both monetarily challenged and had learned to make-do with what we had. My wife’s dress was made by her mother and was very lovely! My shoes looked better when I was standing up, I had carefully polished them.

We had a reception for our guests there at the church and observed the usual cake-cutting ritual.

We had been given $100 ($1,186.00 in 2024 dollars) and a borrowed car to celebrate our honeymoon. That afternoon, we drove to New Braunfels and stayed at the Faust Hotel. Thus began an adventure which continues to this day.

Back home from New Braunfels

As I look back over those years, I can clearly see the Lord’s hand of blessing on our marriage. While there have been challenges, the Lord has always been faithful to us and helped us as we occasionally had to struggle with life events.

Together, we have grown in our faith and learned to love and trust the Lord in all circumstances. Today, our lives together are filled with joy and peace as we each delight in the presence of the other. While it is true our advanced age has brought new challenges, we can share these challenges together and rejoice in the companionship and love that 72 years of life together have produced!

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Philippians 4:4